Colin Farrell to Play Oliver North in Amazon's Iran-Contra Miniseries

Colin Farrell is ready to testify: The actor will play Oliver North in an Amazon miniseries about the Iran-Contra scandal.

According to our sister site Variety, who broke the news, Farrell has signed on to star as the disgraced former Marine who famously testified before Congress during the Iran-Contra hearings in 1987, admitting that he lied under oath. Farrell’s The Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos will direct the untitled limited series, which is currently in development.

The Iran-Contra scandal was one of the biggest blemishes on Ronald Reagan’s presidency, where his administration was accused of illegally selling arms to Iran in exchange for the release of hostages in Lebanon, then using the funds to finance the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. Amazon’s series will focus on this scandal, and North’s involvement in it. (North, currently a Fox News host, was a member of Reagan’s National Security Council staff at the time.)

This marks a return to the small screen for Farrell, following his starring role as homicide cop Ray Velcoro on Season 2 of HBO’s True Detective. He’ll also appear alongside Nicole Kidman in Lanthimos’ next film, The Killing of a Sacred Deer.